The entire conceit of Animal Crossing at its conception was that it was a game that played even when you weren't present. Now, I grew up poor and so didn't have a lot of games, so I don't know if others did this. But from my perspective as a kid back then, it felt novel to have a game that was different every time you logged in, especially if you were gone for awhile. You might log in to find that some villagers had moved away, or someone moved in; the town's landscape could change with weeds or roaches in your house. It made an otherwise simple game feel dynamic and worth coming back to, unlike other life sims where that doesn't matter (e.g. Stardew Valley, no matter how much I love it).

But we lost that in New Horizons. Villagers now need express permission to leave. Ordinances prevent roaches or weeds if you turn that on. The island feels pretty much the same day in and day out. And while it was heartbreaking in the past to lose a favorite villager, having them just up and leave was, I feel, an important part of what made Animal Crossing so unique.

Hey Everyone!!

To celebrate the new Animal Crossing NH 3.0 Update I made a new wallpaper pack of all the joyful parts of ACNH!!

Please check it out and deck out your phone for more ACNH shenanigans! (I also have other icon packs available!)